Display and slicing device



E. C. MAHLER ET AL.

DISFLAY AND SLICING DEVICE Filed May 2 1929 3 Sheets-s Dec. 17, 1929. E. c. MAHLER ET AL 1,740,257

DISPLAY AND SLICING DEVICE Filed May 29, 1929 3 Sheet's-Sheet 2 E. c. MAHLER ET 'AL DISPLAY AND SLICING DEVICE Filed May 29, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 E 2 v 5 5 E .252; hmai Patented Dec. 17, 1929 UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE EDGAR G. MAHLER AND GERI-IARD J. KRUEGER, OF"WAHPETON, NORTH DAKOTA DISPLAY AND SLIGING DEVICE Application filed May 29, 1929. Serial No. 366,903.

' 5 the like.

To the above end, generally stated, the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

1 In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indi cate like parts throughout'the several views.

Referring to the drawings: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the inven- 15 tion;

Fig. 2 1s a view partly in plan and partly in horizontal section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view principally in longitudinal central section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section taken on the line 1-4: of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken on the 25 line 5-5 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detail view principally in section taken on the line 66 of Fig. 2.

The numeral 7 indicates a flat base on which is mounted a casing 8 having a hori zontal partition affording a way 9 which divides said casing into an upper compartment 10 and a lower compartment 11. Said casing 8 above the way 9 comprises a skeleton frame and top, side and end transparent panels. The panel in the front end of the casing 8 is in the form of a door 12 hinged at its lower longitudinal edge to the casing 8 and affords access to the interior of said casing. Any suitable catch may be provided for holdin the door 12 closed.

Securedwithin the casing 8 is a frame 13 on which the way 9 is mountedand which way comprises a plurality of longitudinally 45 extended base rods 14 and a pair of guide flanges 15 at the sides of said rods. The size of the way 9 is such as to support apiece of cheese in the form of a brick X on the rods 14 and between the guide flanges 15. 50 This way 9 terminates short of the front end of the casing 8 and at its front or delivery end is a fiat horizontal cutting blade 16 which extends transversely of the casing 8.. Said cutting blade 16 at its end portions is mounted in vertical guide slots 17 in posts 18 which 5 form a part of the frame 13. At the front end of the way 9 in the frame 13 is a transverse groove 19 arranged to receive the lower or sharp edge of the cutting blade 16 to permit the same to out completely through the brick X without coming into contact with a stop which would tend to dull the same.

The cutting blade 16 is raised and normally held raised at the top of the casing 8 by a pair of upright coiled springs 20, the lower ends of which are anchored to the base 7 and the upper ends of which are connected by cables 21 to the back of the cutting blade 16 inward of the posts 18. These cables 21 run over guide sheaves 22 on the inner faces of the posts 18 at, the tops thereof.

The cutting action of the blade 16 is performed by a pair of cranks 23 connected by cables 2 1 to the back of the cutting blade 16 and which cables run over guide sheaves 25 on the frame 13, see Fig. 4. Said cranks 23 are secured to the outer ends of a transverse horizontal shaft 26 journaled on the frame 13.

The shaft 26 and hence the crank-23 is indirectly rotated, as shown, by a hand-crank 27 on a shaft 28 journaled on the frame 13. This shaft 28 has a pair of spur gears 29 which are connected to a pair of spur gears 30 on the shaft 26 by idle intermediate coun- 5 ter gears 31 on a shaft 32 journaled on the frame 13. A pair of light coiled springs 33 having one of their ends anchored to the base 7 and their other ends attached to the cranks 23, are arranged to be placed under tension when the hand crank 27 is operated to cause the blade 16 to produce a cutting action. The springs 20 are also placed under tension at this same time. W hen the hand crank 27 is released at the completion of this cutting action, the springs 20 will return the knife 16 to normal or raised position. Said springs 20, at the same time, acting through the cables 24:, return all the elements from 23 to 32 inclusive to normal positions.

The purpose of the springs 33 is to retard the movement of these parts and hold the cables 24 taut and prevent movement of the parts 23 to 32 inclusive, except as they are operated by the springs 20 and thereby keep the same in proper positions.

To feed the brick X to the cutting blade 16 by a step by step movement to position said brick to be sliced by the cutting blade 16, there is provided a follower 34 slidably mounted on the way 9. This follower 34 has a depending back flange 35 having holes through which the rods 14 extend for guiding said follower and holding the same on the way 9. The follower 34 is operated from a Windlass drum 36 by a reversely extended cable 37 which runs over front and rear guide sheaves 38 on the frame 13 and attached to the back flange 35. Steps of rotary movement are imparted to the Windlass drum 36, to wind one end portion of the cable 37 thereon and unwind the other end portion therefrom, by a spring-retracted dog 39 and a cooperating ratchet wheel 40 on said Windlass drum. Said dog 39 is mounted on the base 7 and operated from the shaft 28 by a cam 41 thereon. Obviously, during each rotation of the cam 41 a step of movement is imparted to the follower 34 which corresponds to the thickness of the slices to be cut from the brick X.

To return the follower 34 to its rearmost osition at the completion of the slicing of the rick X the dog 39 is held in an inoperative position by a crank rod 42 and the Windlass drum 36 is rotated in the proper direction by a hand-crank 43 on the shaft thereof. The crank rod 42 is journaled on the frame 13 and has a hand-crank 44 by which it may be oper ated.

A horizontal support 45 extends between the delivery endof the way 9 and the front of the casing 8. This support 45 is hinged at its front edge to the casing 8 for lifting movement to afford access to the interior of said casing. A roll of paper Y is mounted on a horizontal spindle 46 removably journaled on the frame 13 directly below the support 45 and which roll has an unwound portion y that is spread on the support 45 and on to which the slices drop as they are cut from the brick X. The unwound portion 3 of the roll Y from said roll runs over a loose guide shaft 47 and the curved or rolled rear edge 48 of the support 45. As the slices are removed from the support 45 through the open door 12 the piece of paper on which said slices rest may be detached from the roll and said roll further unwound to spread another piece of paper on said support. The bricks X are placed on the way 9 through the open door 12.

From the above description it is evident that once during each rotation of the crank 27 the cutting blade 16 is drawn downward by the cable 24 to cut a slice from the brick X and thereafter the springs 20 raise the blade 16. At the completion of the slicing of a portion of the brick X and after the hand-crank 27 is released the springs 33 return the driving connections 23 to 32, inclusive, to normal positions. During the lifting of the cutting blade 16 and after the same has passed above the brick X a step of movement is imparted to the brick X by the follower 34 to position said brick to have another slice cut therefrom. The closed casing 8 will always keep the brick fresh and covered so that it is in a sanitary condition and the transparent panels in said casing 8 expose the brick so that the customer can see just what he is buying.

Mounted on the frame 13 close to one of the posts 18 is a keeper in the form of a toothed wheel 49 to hold the last portion of the cheese X against the follower 34 and prevent the same from falling forward.

wVhat we claim is:

1. A device of the class described comprising a cutting blade mounted for bodil S raising and lowering movements a way lead ing to said blade, a follower on the way, a windlass drum having a reversely extended cable attached to the follower, a ratchet wheel on the Windlass drum, a pawl co-operating with a ratchet wheel, operating connections for raising and lowering the cutting blade and operate the pawl to impart steps of rotary movement to the windlass drum and move the follower toward the cutting blade in timed relation thereto.

2. A device of the class described comprising a cutting blade mounted for raising and lowering movements, springs for raising the cutting blade, operating connections for causing the cutting blade to produce a cutting action including a pair of cranks and cables connecting the cranks to the cutting blade,

and means for feeding materials to the cut ting blade by step by step movement in timed relation thereto.

3. A device of the class described comprising a cutting blade mounted for raising and lowering movements, springs for raising the cutting blade, operating connections for causing the cutting blade to produce a cutting action including a pair of cranks and cables connecting the cranks to the cutting blade, a way leading to the cutting blade, a follower mounted on the way, means for moving the follower on the way including a Windlass drum having a reversely extended. cable attached to the follower, and means actuated by said operating connections for imparting steps of rotary movement to the Windlass drum to move the follower in timed relation to the cutting blade.

4. A device of the class described comprising a cutting blade mounted for raising and lowering movements, springs for raising the cutting blade, operating connections for causing the cutting blade to produce a cutting action including a pair of cranks and cables connecting the cranks to the cutting blade, a way leading to the cutting blade, a follower mounted on the way, means for moving the follower on the way including a wind lass drum having a reversely extended cable attached to the follower, a ratchet wheel on the Windlass drum, a pawl co-operating with the ratchet wheel, said operating connections being arranged to intermittently operate the pawl to impart a step of rotary movement to the Windlass drum to move the follower toward the cutting blade in timed relation thereto.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures.

EDGAR C. MAHLER. GERHARD J. KRUEGER. 

